The Battle of Stonington: Torpedoes, Submarines, and Rockets in the War of 1812

by James Tertius de Kay

Book Overview

In the summer of 1814 a squadron of Royal Navy ships attacked the tiny Connecticut seaport of Stonington, and declared its intention of destroying the town. Over the next four days the British... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0940160730
• ISBN13: 9780940160736
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Parnassus Imprints
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

James does it again.

The author has mastered the art of suspenseful writing and can make any dry history exciting. There is an amazing amount of information in this small book, and it is as exciting to read as any historical fiction novel. I read the author's other book on the Monitor and in both books he amazed me by his ability to end a paragraph or chapter and keep me in suspense for the next.

A Truely Outstanding Work.

The Battle of Stonington is a book in a class by itself. It covers an obscure time and place in American history with a depth of detail and readability that recommend it to the serious scholar, the arm chair admiral, the general military buff and anyone who enjoys a good story. DeKay writes in a fashion worthy of the best fiction. The Battle of Stonington may be described as a Tom Clancy novel written about the War of 1812. Like Clancy, DeKay writes with a high degree of both historic and techinical detail but, at the same time, creates enough dramatic tension to hold the attention of the reader. There is, however, one key difference between DeKay and Clancy. DeKay's book is not fiction. Everything in the book is true. The persona dramatis range from immortal seafaring legends to humble but ingenious Yankee patriots. The story includes elements of duty, honor, ingenuity, courage, moral dilemas, patriotism and down right miracles. How will a handful of militia men defend their homes and honor against five British warships commanded by a hero of the Battle of Trafalger with only three cannons? DeKay engroses the reader for page upon page of historic detail and mounting tension. Even the informed historian who knows the eventual outcome will gladly allow himself to be wrapped up in the story. I exhort anyone with an interest in American military of naval history, or for that matter, any one who enjoy's a good yarn, to read this book. DeKay brings alive the stuff of which legends are made. Can a small book by an obscure author possibly be this good? Read it for yourself and believe.

It's the next best thing to being there

As a person who has spent a great portion of his life in the Borough of Stonington, a small colonial town in the southeast corner of Connecticut, it's difficult for me to imagine there being a book which could capture both my heart and mind to any greater degree than this one. For this is not simply a recollection of a long-forgotten battle in a relatively trivial arena, but the story of a small community struggling (and shining) through the onslaught of war. What amazes me most about this book is how clearly it paints a picture of an America in which our contemporary feelings of patriotism and national identity had not yet fully evolved. Stonington versus the British navy; Stonington versus New London (a city roughly 10 miles to the west); Americans versus Americans; a war seemingly on two fronts. This book completely shatters what little we have been taught about this war in the classroom. Contrary to mainstream beliefs on the subject, Mr. De Kay shows us a time and a place in which the war was just as much in our backyard as it was on our doorstep -- possibly even more so. In addition to the heroic displays of many Stoningtonians who successfully fought off what appears now to have been a somewhat half-hearted British bombardment, he shows us the less than heroic actions of numerous others who would have been more than happy to "go back" into the English fold and were not afraid to practice treachery to achieve this wish. And this is just one fascinating aspect to a book which is, overall, a truly wonderful read. Additionally, the author does a great job of introducing us to many of the area's inhabitants and showing us what life was like in that time. And his "coverage" of the particular battle in question is nothing short of remarkable. You feel as if you are there, fighting hand in hand alongside the people who you now know. In total, this book is astounding, and one which I highly recommend to anyone with a love for history. Far from being a textbook account, itis a very personal, digestible telling of a story we should, but don't, all already know about. And I am speaking not just for those of us with roots in New England, but for all Americans. For this, in a sense, is a microcosm of all of our histories. For we are all the product, at least to some degree, of our nation's past. Anyhow, this book is wel worth reading. It is as entertaining as a movie, with the factual content of a textbook........and well worth the admission price.